Company news

Originaly posted on Medium

In May 2021 the UpTrader team visited the first fintech exhibition in Dubai after a forced 1.5-year break. During our 1-week visit we noticed that a lot of our clients and fintech companies opened their offices in Dubai. So we decided to do a small research of the trend and figure out why the Arabian night attracts the financial industry. We were wondering whether it is a good idea to open a representative office in the Emirates or not?

So there are at least 3 reasons why this might be interesting.

Real estate market in Dubai now

The real estate market in Dubai has been falling since 2014. And according to some expert estimates, it has not yet reached the bottom. In addition to Dubai’s own market problems, the global pandemic caused the prices to go down. In general, at the moment the market is still trying to deal with the consequences of the flooding of real estate objects that happened in 2014. At that time frozen construction projects began to be completed and released to the market after a protracted credit crisis in 2008. Eventually supply exceeded demand, and continues to exceed it to this day.

This year the market has fallen 8% for purchases and 12% for rentals, and continues to fall. New construction projects are flooding the market this year. Now prices are 30% lower than 2014 prices. However, to reach 2010 prices, according to experts, the market needs to lose another 20%.

In May 2021, our team had meetings in some Business Bay towers and we were impressed by the desolation of these giants. One can say wind and sand are walking through the unfinished offices. On the one hand, all this makes a depressing impression and reminds us of post-apocalypse from Blade Runner 2050, on the other hand, really low prices and rather lively business activity in Dubai attract the attention of business and make you think about the prospects for opening an office there.

Goodbye Cyprus?

For the last two decades, Cyprus has been the traditional place for fintech developers. The offices of many well-known brokers were located there, as well as satellite companies serving them: software, legal, PR and advertising companies. Cyprus had become the forex capital for many years. That became possible because of Cyprus financial regulator, the only European regulator whose license at one time cost reasonable money and leniently regulated broker activities. Different types of brokers could get a license, and they did. One of the conditions for getting a license was the opening of an office in the country and the employment of a certain number of Cypriots.

The maintenance of such a small office costs 20–25 thousand euros per month. It could number in the hundreds of thousands for a bigger one. In general, the years were rich, and the morals in Forex were quite free.

However, since about 2015, the legislation of European countries has slightly begun to tighten the rules for financial brokers. Cyprus did not stand aside and soon obtaining a license in Cyprus became as difficult as in other European jurisdictions. As a result, brokers stopped getting Cysec’s licenses, followed by the closure of offices and the migration of companies. And there was not much sense left for the fintech service companies to open their representative offices there. But we are wondering where is the new capital of forex now?

Is Dubai the business and financial center of the future?

The United Arab Emirates have long been working on diversifying the economy, building a model based not only on the export of raw materials, but also on other industries, including developing business tourism. For this, in addition to the construction of new areas, the authorities create attractive tax conditions for business. So the United Emirates has 5 tax-free economic zones (according to the number of the emirates). Companies registering a business there must pay about 12 thousand dollars a year, but their activities are free from tax. What other benefits does a business have by opening an office there? As we said, 0 taxes. Up to 5 employees of the company can get a residence permit.

According to current prices, a square meter costs an average of $25 per month. Maintaining a small office in Dubai of about 70 square meters costs about $ 2,500 per month. Another crucial benefit is an access to Arab banks. So even unlicensed

brokers who have problems with European banks can count on the loyalty of local ones.

The Emirates attract different types of business via the annual international exhibitions. It makes Dubai an attractive hub for fintech.

So experts say that real estate prices in the Emirates will hit the bottom by 2022, so maybe now is the best time to start looking for offices or apartments with a gorgeous view of the business center or the sea.

The biggest fintech portal Finance Magnates just published an interview with Vasily Alexeev, CEO UpTrader, about a new investment service for Forex brokers launched last month. The service combines the most popular technologies (MAM, PAMM, LAMM). What advantages does UpTrader offer to the market?

Read on Finance Magnates

These are the questions that we asked Vasily Alexeev, the CTO and CEO of UpTrader. In April, his company announced the launch of its copy trading software UpTrader Invest. 

You’ve just announced the launch of copy trading software "UpTrader Invest". What are the innovations that your forex solution brings to the table? 

We get a lot of requests for investment services. Someone wants PAMM, others ask for MAM MT4, or social trading platform. In fact, many don’t see the difference between them, and the truth is, the difference is really minor.

And if we pay attention, we’ll see what the client is really saying: we want a stable and reliable service with flexible settings, and we need it live tomorrow.

So we didn’t create a new technology, we just reimagined what’s already out there on the market and offered a new combination. UpTrader Invest is an investment service with a simple interface and flexible settings. Another hallmark is the high degree of stability.

You’re putting a lot of emphasis on stability. Is the situation bad now? 

The thing is, many similar services have a common problem—they lose trades, it’s inevitable with external connection to the trading platform MetaTrader 4—that’s the way most of these solutions operate.

UpTrader Invest works in the MT4 core directly, which not only ensures the maximum speed of operation, but also prevents the loss of trades.  

UpTrader Invest—is it more than just MAM, PAMM, and social trading?  

Let’s clear up the terminology first. 

MAM stands for Multi Account Management. This means that there’s one common account used by the trader, while the investors’ accounts are indicative. This scheme allows for a more effective hedging of the strategy’s general position, i.e. moving to A-book. 

PAMM stands for Percent Allocation Management Module, basically the same as MAM. 

Social trading platform, or copy trading software, is essentially the same as MAM, the difference being that the trader operates not in a common account, but in their own one, while the trades are being copied to the connected accounts of investors.  

We offer all three modes of operation. MAM MT4 or MT5 is the standard mode. PAMM is the same as MAM, only investors can’t see the trades.

And the social trading (copy trading) mode—the manager only trades with their personal funds in their own account, the other accounts simply receive copied trades.

A broker can pick any mode it prefers, or enable all three simultaneously. 

Is UpTrader Invest a standalone entity, or a part of your Forex CRM? 

UpTrader Forex CRM was designed as a single control room for the broker on one side and for the client on the other. We create simple and succinct interfaces for the easy management of complex things.

We make an effort to spare our users unnecessary clicks, switching between windows, log-ins. That’s why all new UpTrader products are always integrated into Forex CRM.

However, if someone wants to buy this particular service as a standalone, we can provide the API, and the customer will be able to design their own interface, expand the plug-in the way they want, and connect it to their MetaTrader 4 on their own. 

What instruments are there to trade for a manager in investment accounts? 

Anything available in MT4. For example, if a broker buys a MT4 White Label solution from UpTrader, their clients get access to over 500 instruments: currencies, cryptocurrencies, spot metals, CFDs on futures, stocks, indices, bonds. 

Where and how can a client follow the account operations and manage trades?

Managing trades—no, investors can’t influence trades at all. Investors can connect or disconnect, deposit or withdraw, but that’s it. Everything that goes on in their accounts can be tracked using any available MetaTrader interface: in the mobile or desktop app, web terminal. And, of course, in our Forex CRM. 

How to choose a manager, connect/disconnect a strategy? 

An investor can choose a strategy from the list based on the profit history. They also see the manager’s preferred trading instruments. Then, they submit an investment request, which the manager accepts or rejects. The manager can also opt to accept all investments automatically. 

There are several ways of disconnecting from a strategy, it depends on the account settings: immediately, on approval, or on rollover, i.e. on schedule. 

What are the profit distribution options available in the service? 

The manager has three reward plans that can be selected in the settings: payouts per the manager’s trading volume, percentage of profit generated in a period determined by the manager, high watermark: payment only when investor’s profits reach a new high. 

What’s the earning scheme for the broker?  

There are no restrictions for brokers on how they want to make money in this service. It can be any existing arrangement—spreads, fees. The service works with any variations of A-book/B-book. 

No restrictions on the partnership program, partners receive rewards automatically for the clients they bring to the investment service.  

How fast can the service be integrated? Is there a trial period?  

Integration can be done at the speed of light—a client gets a fully functioning service in one day. Of course, customers can take it for a test run before making a purchase, we offer a trial period. 

 

More details about MT4/MT5 social trading platform white label here: https://uptrader.io/en/uptrader_invest

After visiting iFXExpo Dubai, we can confidently say that everything is in order on the forex market.

We are not going to talk about the joy of live meetings after a long break, since almost everyone has already written about it. And what else can we say, we completely agree that no Zoom can be compared with personal interaction. The entire UpTrader team noted that the demand for brokerage software has grown very much over the past year and a half, CRM becoming the favorite UpTrader product. Deals were made right at the booth. Customers paid in cash!

Also, future and current brokers were interested in payment systems, which should come as no surprise given the continuing restrictions on banks' work with unlicensed brokers.

Of the interesting anti-trends, one can note the loss of interest in crypto projects. Even if you remember the 2019 iFXExpo exhibition on Cyprus, when ICOs were already almost a thing of the past, crypto projects still aroused keen interest. Now everyone is interested in rather routine classic things like White Labels on MT4, MT5, Investment services, CRM, Licenses, liquidity for working in the Forex and CFD market. The hype settled down, the market returned to the classic financial business.

Brokerage software has always been in high demand in the Asia-Pacific region, and even in the times of the pandemic, the number of requests has only gone up. 
 

We’re making an effort to speak the same language with our clients, literally. As we secure our presence on the new markets, we adapt our products to the local languages. 

Today, we’re proud to announce that the UpTrader website is available in three new languages: Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese. 

Meanwhile, UpTrader CRM is available in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Russian, Thai, and Vietnamese. 

Yours truly, 

UpTrader team 

Today, April 12th, marks the completion of the final testing stage of our new product—the White Label Social Trading Platform - UpTrader Invest—and now it’s available to customers. Integration of the platform into a brokerage business takes just one day. Currently, the service only works with MT4 MAM, but the MT5 MAM version is planned next.

UpTrader Invest is a plug-in for MT4 based on the technologies of PAMM, MAM, and social trading. It allows investors of any level of expertise to immediately start investing and generating profits from Forex trading. The hallmark of the new platform is its userfriendly interface for all three parties: brokers, investment account managers, and investors. Flexible settings allow selecting between profit distribution systems and managing risks.

Vasily Alexeev, UpTrader CEO 

“We often receive requests for PAMM, sometimes LAMM and MAM. When we try to understand why they want one particular product or another, we realize that the most don’t see any difference between them. For example, PAMM is much more widely known than the others, so it gets requested more often, despite it being mostly the same as MAM. Essentially, these three are the same platform under different brands, they’re based on a very similar principle of operation. We’ve long understood: when a client asks for an investment service, they just want a simple and reliable instrument for their clients, and the terminology isn’t important. What’s important, though, is that the service must be easy and comfortable to use. That’s why we have combined the most popular settings of PAMM, MAM, and social trading software, designed a simple interface, and paid special attention to stability: the dangers of lost connection or inaccurate copying of trades are eliminated. Our investment service is already integrated into UpTrader Forex CRM. This means that by buying our  ForexCRM, a broker immediately receives a great instrument that can start bringing profits as early as the next day.” 

Key features of UpTrader Invest:

—There are no restrictions for brokers concerning the way they want to generate profits using this service. Any scheme already used by the broker will suit: spreads, fees. The service works with any variations of A-book and B-book brokers. In addition, A-book brokers will be able to hedge their risk more effectively when working in MAM MT4 or PAMM mode.

—No restrictions for partnership programs. If a partner brings new clients with investment accounts, the partner reward will be paid out automatically.

—There are three reward schemes for the manager available in the settings: payment per the manager’s trading volume, percentage of profits generated in a certain time period set by the manager, high watermark—payment only for the difference in balance (only when the value is positive). 

—When choosing a manager in the client interface, investors see their history of profit, preferred trading instruments, reward scheme, and, of course, options of backing out from the strategy, there are three of them: immediate exit, exit after the manager’s approval, exit with rollovers. All further information is available to investors in real time in their client interface, in MetaTrader 4 mobile app, or in the web/desktop terminal

Get more detailed information on the service and request a trial: [email protected] 

Read more there.

Yours truly,

UpTrader team

Finally, a live Expo! With 2020 behind us, the world is slowly starting to return to business as usual.

During the last year, we at UpTrader have really longed for another big expo, and now we’re proud to take part in the first iFX EXPO since 2019.

Come see us in Dubai at May 19-20, 2021! There will be two full expo days, and we’ll be waiting for you at our booth #49.

Get your tickets now at https://ifxexpo.com/dubai/

You can book an appointment with us by using the “Contact us” form on our website or via email [email protected]

See you there!